Earth anchor construction



Nov- 3, 1936- A. A. VAN LANTSCHOOT 2,059,502

EARTH ANCHOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1935 Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STTES PATENT OFFIQE EARTH ANCHOR CONSTRUCTION Application September 26, 1935, Serial No. 42,241

6 Claims.

My invention relates to an earth anchor construction. More specifically, it relates to a type of earth anchor construction in which the entire earth-engaging anchorage means are carried by 5 a guy rod and pushed into a hole in the ground by means of said guy rod.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an anchor of this type in which the entire anchorage means is held securely on the rod and can be inserted in the ground only in a manner which will produce the desired result and which will prevent any chance that careless installation might cause improper functioning of the apparatus.

15 A further object is to provide an earth anchor of the type indicated, which will insure that the guy rod is threaded completely through and beyond the nut, thus eliminating any trouble that might arise by reason of the guy rod not being screwed far enough into the nut, such as causing the threads to strip when strain is applied.

A further object is to provide an earth anchor of the type indicated, which will insure that the nut is properly seated, thus avoiding the possibility of having a slack guy, which might happen if the nut is not properly seated during installation and thereafter slips into its seat, thereby loosening the guy rod.

A further object is to provide an earth anchor of the type indicated, which will insure that the nut is properly placed in its seat.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the description and claims.

In the drawing, in which an embodiment of my 35 invention is shown,

Figure l is a bottom plan View of an earth anchorage construction;

Fig. 2 is an axial section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1, showing the fiukes retracted;

40 Fig. 3 is a reduced, part sectional, part elevational view, showing the anchor installed and the fiukes extended; and

Fig. 4 is an axial sectional View, showing one method of molding the fluke-carrying plate.

5 Referring to the drawing in detail, the construction shown comprises a guy rod I, a flukecarrying plate 2, a nut 3 for securing the plate to the guy rod, a number of fiukes 4 mounted for radial sliding movement on the fluke-carrying 50 plate, and a link mechanism 5 for extending the flukes when the anchor head has been inserted into a hole in the ground, as shown in Fig. 3. The means shown for extending the flukes comprise three links 6, each pivotally connected at 55 its lower end-withone of the flukes 4 and each pivotally connected at its upper end with a driving head 'i which is slidably mounted on the guy rod. The nukes are guided in their sliding movement by the provision of slots 8 through which a neck or sleeve portion 9 of the anchor plate extends, the edges of the slots being engaged and guided by the neck portion. The fluke construction and actuating mechanism therefor may be of any usual or suitable type and is not described in further detail. A rectangular recess I0 is pro- 10 vided in the lower side of the fluke-carrying plate in which the nut 3 is seated to prevent the nut from turning when the guy rod l is screwed into the nut. The plate is also provided with an integral abutment portion ll extending across, in front of and underneath the end of the guy rod l, which serves as a limiting and positioning device to determine definitely the distance to which the guy rod can be screwed into the nut and to serve as a push member by means of which the entire anchorage means may be pushed down into the hole i2 by pushing down on the guy rod.

In use, the nut 3 is placed in the recess [0 and the guy rod I is inserted through the opening it and threaded into the nut as far as it will go, as shown in Fig. 2, the end of the rod resting against the abutment H and the nut 3 being pulled up snugly to its seat. This method of assembly avoids any danger of careless installation, since the guy rod must be threaded completely through and beyond the nut to a position definitely determined by the distance between the bottom of the nut seat and the surface of the abutment II. This prevents any danger of stripping the threads and insures that the nut is 5 properly seated. The proper seating 01" the nut prevents the danger of having a slack guy, which might happen if the nut is not properly seated during installation and thereafter slips into its seat, thereby loosening the guy rod. 4

Any suitable material may be used in this construction. It has been found in practice that satisfactory results are obtained by the use of malleable iron for the fluke-carrying plate 2, the flukes 4, and the fluke-actuating means 6 and I.

In order to insure that water does not gather and remain in the nut seat, drainage openings may be provided, as indicated at 13. These openings not only insure proper drainage but also facilitate the molding operation if the plate is a cast construction. This is indicated in Fig. 4, which shows the plate as it appears when molded in position between the upper and lower portions l4 and [5 of the flask. As here shown, the

opening 16 for the guy rod and the recess III for the nut seat are formed by means of a central core IT. The provision of the drainage openings I3 enables both sides of this central core I! to rest on the sand, thus preventing any danger of its toppling over, as might be the case if this support were not provided.

In fluke type anchors, in which a cast fluke supporting plate is used, it has been found desirable to provide radial reinforcing ribs, such as l8, I9, 20, 2|, 22 and 23, on the lower side of this plate. In certain types of anchors, particularly the three-fluke type, it has been difficult to provide a suitable reinforcing rib l8 for one of the fiukes, since this rib 18 preferably should be located so that its inner end will unite integrally with the central portion of one wall 24 of the nut seat. The other two fiukes can be sufiicient- 1y supported by the ribs 20 and 22, since, for these two fiukes, the inner portion of the ribs 20 and 22 may extend substantially from the corner portions of the nut seat and substantially in line with the wall 25 of the nut seat which unites these two ribs 20 and 22. The three ribs, I8, 20 and 22, are the main reinforcing ribs since they lie directly underneath the central portion of the fiukes, respectively. However, by extending one wall 24 of the nut seat beyond the others, the inner portion 26 of the rib l8 which unites with this wall may be made deeper than the other ribs, thus providing additional stiffness for this rib. Furthermore, the abutment I l which bridges across the nut seat provides additional reinforcement for backing up this particular rib. It will thus be seen that the combination of the extended wall 24 of the nut pocket, particularly when also combined with the bridging abutment ll, enables a satisfactory reinforcing rib construction to be obtained, which is particularly desirable in connection with the three-fluke type anchor.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An earth anchor construction comprising a guy rod, earth-engaging anchorage means, and a nut, the entire earth-engaging anchorage means being carried by the rod and pushed into a hole by means of said rod, said anchorage means comprising an anchorage member having a pull-resisting portion having an opening therethrough, said nut being non-rotatably mounted underneath said pull-resisting portion and having a threaded opening in line with said first opening, said guy rod extending through said first opening and being threaded into said nut, said anchorage member having also an abutment portion extending underneath and engageable with the end of said rod whereby, when the rod is screwed into the nut as far as it will go, the nut will be drawn up snugly against said pull-resisting portion to hold said pull-resisting portion rigid with respect to said guy rod, the distance to which the guy rod is screwed into the nut is definitely determined, and in installation the entire anchorage means may be pushed into a hole by engagement of the end of the guy rod with said abutment portion.

2. An earth anchor construction comprising a guy rod, earth-engaging anchorage means, and a nut, the entire earth-engaging anchorage means being carried by the rod and pushed into a hole by means of said rod, said anchorage means comprising an anchorage member having a pullresisting plate portion having an opening therethrough and an earth engaging fluke slidably mounted on said plate portion, said nut being non rotatably mounted underneath said pull-resisting portion and having a threaded opening in line with said first opening, said guy rod extending through said first opening and being threaded into said nut, said anchorage member having also an abutment portion extending underneath and engageable with the end of said rod whereby, when the rod is screwed into the nut as far as it will go, the nut will be drawn up snugly against said pull-resisting portion to hold said pull-resisting portion rigid with respect to said guy rod, the distance to which the guy rod is screwed into the nut is definitely determined, and in installation the entire anchorage means may be pushed into a hole by engagement of the end of the guy rod with said abutment portion.

3. An earth anchor construction comprising an anchorage member having a pull-resisting portion having an opening therethrough, a nut underneath said pull-resisting portion having a threaded opening in line with said first opening, and a guy rod extending through said first opening and threaded into said nut, said anchorage member having walls integral therewith extending downwardly therefrom and embracing said nut to prevent it from turning, at least one 01 said walls extending downwardly further than another of said walls, said anchor construction comprising an abutment member supported by said further extending wall for enabling the anchorage member to be pushed down a hole in installation by means of the guy rod, said anchorage member having also an integral reinforcing rib on the lower side of the pull-resisting portion age member having walls integral therewith extending downwardly therefrom and embracing said nut to prevent it from turning, at least one of said walls extending downwardly further than another of said walls, said anchor construction comprising an abutment member supported by said further extending wall for enabling the anchorage member to be pushed down a hole in installation by means of the guy rod, said anchorage member having also an integral reinforcing rib on the lower side of the pull-resisting plate portion extending radially from and supported by said further extending wall, that portion of the rib adjacent its supporting wall extending downwardly further than does said other wall,

and an extensible fluke movably mounted on the upper side of said plate portion above said supporting rib.

5. An earth anchor construction comprising an,

anchorage member having a pull-resisting plate portion having an opening therethrough, a nut underneath said pull-resisting plate portion having a threaded opening in line with said first .50 opening and threaded into said nut, said anehoropening, a guy rod extending through said first,

opening and threaded into said nut, said anchorage member having walls integral therewith extending downwardly therefrom and embracing said nut to prevent it from turning, at least one of said walls extending downwardly further than another of said walls, said anchor construction comprising an abutment member supported by said further extending wall for enabling the anchorage member to be pushed down a hole in installation by means of the guy rod, said anchorage member having also anintegral reinforcing rib on the lower side of the pull-resisting plate portion extending radially from and supported by said further extending wall, that portion of the rib adjacent its supporting wall extending downwardly further than does said other wall, and three radially-movable flukes mounted on the upper side of said plate portion, one of said flukes being mounted substantially above said supporting rib, said anchorage member having also: two additional reinforcing ribs on the lower side of said plate portion extending approximately in line with one of said integral walls and lying underneath the other two flukes, respectively.

6. An earth anchor construction comprising a cast anchorage member having a pull-resisting portion having an opening therethrough, a nut non-rotatably mounted underneath said pullresisting portion having a threaded opening in line with said first opening, and a guy rod extending through said first opening and threaded into said nut, said pull-resisting portion being provided with an integral nut seat having nutembracing walls embracing the entire periphery of the nut, and an integral abutment portion extending completely across said nut seat between diametrically opposite portions of said nut embracing walls for use in pushing the anchorage member into a hole, said abutment portion having a drainage opening therethrough.

AUGUST A. VAN LANTSCHOOT. 

